A Friend in Need
by Zia Well
Summary: Crossover between Firefly and Buffy. The answers to all their problem may lay aboard serenity, but with the past coming forward no hind thoughts are safe and one of the crew will be change forever
1. Default Chapter

This is a Firefly/Buffy crossover. I own neither of these shows so don't sue me I have no money.

**A Friend in need**

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.

Charles Dickens

"Buffy watch out, there is another one behind you." Willow screamed to her best friend. Buffy whipped around just in time to stake the vampire that had managed to sneak up behind her during the fight. Buffy, Willow, and Xander were all studying when the vampire suddenly attack them. Of course they were studying in a grave yard. It had been Buffy idea that Willow and Xander help her study while she slays vamps. Really it was just Willow who was helping her study and Xander was there to make the odd remarks every now and then. Tonight had been a busy night, they had covered major events in American history, math, chemistry, and had manages to kill 11 vamps. Over all Buffy was pretty pleased with herself which may have been why she didn't hear that last vamp. None of them did and where he got that knife would plague Buffy dreams for years to come. After Willow had warned Buffy of the one sneaking up behind her she was turning back to her friend with a wide smile on her face.

"Thanks Will." Buffy started to say but never got it out for at that exact moment Buffy saw a knife plunge beep into Willow's back. The world seemed to slow down for Buffy at this point. Willow screams of pain filled her ears and off in her side view she saw Xander run up to their fallen friend. But Buffy herself was frozen to the spot she stood on. All she could do was look in to her best friends eyes. And she saw it all. The look of Willow eyes that night would never leave Buffy completely, years later when she'd look in the mirror sometime she would see though eyes she saw that night looking back at her the way they were doing now. She saw the exact moment when the pain hit Willow, Willow eyes grown big and her mouth formed in an O. And it was in that moment Willows eyes said it all. They showed Buffy the pain of the wound, the fear of death, and the sadness of leaving the world when she was just starting to truly live. It was in that moment that Buffy saw the first time she met Willow, what a shy girl she had been and how much she had grown over the next couple of month. Buffy hadn't even know Willow and Xander more then a few month at this point but she felt as if they were the best friends she could ever have.

"Buffy help!" Xander yelled shaking Buffy out of the trance she had been in. She rushed over to Willow side seeing her friends clothing were already soak in blood Buffy knew they had to act fast. Unlucky for them none of the three owned a cell phone so Buffy suggest they take her to Giles' house which was the closes to the grave yard. The vamp which had stab Willow had disappeared into the night and as much as Buffy would have love to chase it down and teach it that you don't mess with the slayers friends, Willows wounds came first.

By the time they made the coupe blocks it took to get to Giles' house Willow's breathe where shallow and very slow. Giles answer the knocks on his door right away and seeing Willow stated lend them into the living room. Xander had carry Willow the whole way not allowing Buffy to help. In a way Buffy know Xander loved Willow in the way Willow had always hope but the fact that see was always their made it blind to Xander eyes.

"We should call 911" Xander said once he had set Willow carefully down on the sofa. Willow groaned showing that she was still alive which was reassuring but also remained them that they were quickly running out of time.

"No she too far gone. Lost too much blood, and it looks like the knife hit her lung she'd just die on the way there." Giles said while looking through some book that were piled on his desk.

"Then what do we do? Watch her die?" Buffy ask angrily. She didn't like feeling helpless and watching Willow slowly die when there nothing at all she could was about the worst feeling in the world.

"I have an idea. It's a spell which will freeze her in time so to say, it will give us a chance to find a way to save her. It will be like she die all thing in her body will stop working but the spell will protect her brain, her body, and her soul. She wouldn't age and when the spell is removes she will start to live again like the spell was never put on her. It will give us time, time we right now don't have." Giles informed the two friends. Buffy and Xander looked at each other and then to Giles.

"Well then let's do it, why are we wasting time?" Xander said as Willow began to cough. She must have cough for a whole minute or a lest that what it seemed to be to Buffy and the other and when she was done her lips were covered in blood, it look like Giles was right the knife did hit her lungs.

"Its not that easy we need two archers for her in order for the spell to work." Giles explain quietly knowing how much time they had left her also know what answer he would get from the two friend he just hope that they knew what they were offering by doing this.

"You got you two archers right here, Me and Xander, now do it." Buffy said in a voice that left no room for any more talking. So the spell was done and Willow life was saved and stopped at the same time.

**Much later in time: Entering in to planet Ray-10**

"Tell me again why we're setting down on this godforsaken place." Jayne asks looking out the bridge window to the planet in which they were about to land on. Ray-10 was a desert planet complete covered in sand. It was because of the lack of water that hardly anyone lived on that hump of rock.

"Well gee Jayne I don't know. I thought hey desert, there sand we could have fun here." Wash said in a mocking voice which got him a killer look from Jayne, luckily looks couldn't kill for if they could Wash be dead more time then can be counted.

"We're here cause this is where the person who giving us a ton of money wants to meet us." Mal said as he entered on the bridge. "Now Jayne meet me and Zoë down in the cargo bay we got a job to do." And with that Mal walked off the bridge.

The cargo bay itself was empty, it had been that way for far to long for Mal's likening. It seemed to him the jobs were getting harder and harder to find. That why this job was almost perfect. While they had to set down on Megest for some repair that Kaylee had said if they didn't fix them right then they would be dead in space Mal had be approach by a young man who said some lady had pay him quit a lot of money to give a letter to him. At first Mal wasn't sure he should open it, it was a weird letter from a mystery person but finally curiosity got t he best of him and he opened it, it stated:

Dear, Captain Malcolm Reynolds

I found out from my people that if I wanted something done your crews the people who could do it. I have a job for you. I'm willing to pay up to five times your normal fee to get it done fast and quietly. This job is very important to me so it will have to be handle with great care. If you think that you and your crew are up to this please meet me and my associated in one weeks time

BS

P.S. Me any associated request to be with your crew every step of the way on this. Thank you.

Now when Mal said the job was almost perfect it was while the person was will to pay so much more then their normal fee was great, it would keep serenity flying for a good long time. But they wanted to stay aboard Serenity through out the job. It could be that they just wanted to make sure that the job was done right or it could be something else. In the end the money won out over anything else they just needed it too much. Plus Mal was sure he could protect his crew from the bad thing if need be. So here he was taken his crew into the unknown once again. As the ship set down with a gentle thump, Jayne and Zoë join him down in the cargo bay.

"Welcome to the lovely planet of Ray-10 were the weather is hot, with a bit of hot, and later it will be hot. Have a nice day." Wash's voice said over the intercom, Mall just shock his head and look out as the cargo bay boors lower. When it did Mal saw two people standing outside his ship. One was a girl of average height with blond and looked to be in good shape. Behind her stood a young man, he was taller then the girl but not that much taller and he had dark brown hair. Neither of the two looked to be over 21 but the both gave off a feeling of being much older then they appear to be.

"Captain Reynolds, I am glad you accepted my offer. I am Buffy Summer and this is my associated Xander." The blond girl said shacking hands with Mal.

"How old are you, girl." Mal said not being able to help himself he just didn't see how someone so young could afford him or would have any use for him if they could. Buffy smiled at him like she had heard that question many time before.

"Older then you could ever guest, Captain. And lod enough to come through." She said and held up a bag. " half now and half when you finish the job."

"That good enough for me." Jayne said but no one was pay him much heed.

"And what would be the job your paying so much money for us to complete?" Zoë asked coming up next to the captain and Mal introduces her.

"I'll get to that in a minute first some question." Buffy stated and Mal nodded his head showing he agreed to this. "Your ships a bit old are you sure she up to it?" The questionable look on the girls face showed that she didn't quit trust the ship.

"Serenity can take anything you throw at her." A voice from behind said and they all turn to see who it belong to. Kaylee stood there on the step looking down at everyone in the cargo bay.

"Kaylee aren't you suppose to be fixing something." Mal said, he didn't like Kaylee out in the open when they were meeting new people. It was too easy for one of them to pull out a gun and shot her before anyone knew what was happening, after all its happen before.

"Its okay cap' everything is shinny. Out ship is tip top." Kaylee said the last part for the two strangers standing there. Which made Buffy smile. The young girl had so much life to her it was hard not to smile when she was round. It remembered her of someone she knew.

"That good enough for me Captain. The job I have for you go in three stages and the first stage all you need to do is pick up a package." Buffy replied.

"And the other two steps." Mal asked.

"We'll talk about them when we get to them. Well Captain what do you say do we have a deal?" Buffy asked. Mal looked from the girl to the young man standing behind her. He had said nothing the whole time. Mal wonder about him, why he was there, actually Mal wonder about a lot of thing. The girl had said next to nothing about what the job really was but once again the money out weighed everything else.

"You got your self a crew Ms. Summer." Mal said with a big smile.

That all for now if you like it please review and more will be written.


	2. The one

**A Friend in Need Part 2**

Everyone has talent; what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark pace where it leads.

Erica Jong

Mal had Zoë show Ms. Summer and Xander the quiet to the guest rooms which would be their through out the trip, however long that would be considering Ms. Summer didn't tell Mal how long this job would take. Of course with what she was paying she didn't have to tell them anything. She could have rented Serenity for a year that how much money she had given him. Not that Mal would rent Serenity out to anyone; there was no chance of that happening, ever. Jayne had gone off to find something to eat leaving only Mal and Kaylee in the cargo bay. Turning slowly Mal face his young mechanic with a disapproving look.

"Kaylee I believe we had this talk before." Mal stated. "When we're meeting with a new business associate your suppose to stay out of sight until I can find out if it safe or not."

"Sorry Capt. But it really didn't look like either of them could hurt a fly." Kaylee replied putting on her best puppy dog look. It work, it always work. Mal just couldn't stay mad at Kaylee, not for long anyways.

"Okay Kaylee but next time listen to me, I'm just doing if for your safely. Mal pointed out and Kaylee lit up with a smile, happy to be forgiven. Kaylee then open her mouth to say something to Mal when she hear foot step from up above and turn to look at who had come to join them. And sure enough up on the walk way that was just above Kaylee, Inara stood.

"Inara!" Kaylee said happily for she didn't realize her friend had rejoined them yet. When they found out that they would be heading to Ray-10 Inara had informed Mal that she had an appointment with someone on Ray-9 and would met back up with the ship before they left. Kaylee was always sad when Inara left for each time Kaylee knew there was a changes that someone would convince her to stay on one of the many planets they visited and if at one time Inara chose to stay Kaylee really couldn't blame her cause all the places she went were so nice but every time she came back Kaylee was so happy that she decided to stay with them if only for another day, of course Kaylee would never tell Inara this for she believe Inara had the right to chose what she wanted to do in her life. "Did you see the new people?" Kaylee happiest was contagious in a way that everyone else round her could help but smile along with her.

"Yes Kaylee they seemed quit interesting." Inara answer smiling the whole time. Interesting was the right word to use, while the two she sawed didn't look like harden killer, in fact they looked barely older then Kaylee but something didn't feel right about them. She had only see them for a second when Zoë was leading them out of the cargo bay but in the moment the blond one look up and caught her right in the eyes and Inara saw something in those eyes. She can't say exactly what see saw but it chill her down to her bones. Something told Inara that, that girl had see more in her lifetime then Inara ever could. Inara could see that Mal felt it to by the way his body was straight and alter and how protective he became of Kaylee. She also knew that Kaylee always saw the good in everybody so it was up to her and Mal to protect the young girl. Inara looked at Mal and saw that he was thinking the same thing. Kaylee was dear to all of them; she was like a little sister to Inara. Out of all the crew Kaylee was the first to befriend her. When Inara had first joined on Serenity she wasn't very trusting of people and the crew in turn kept their distance not knowing how to deal or even talk with someone like her. That was everyone excepted for Kaylee. On Inara second day she came up to her and apologized for not introducing herself on the first day but it seemed that Mal had her totally rewired the engine. Then the young girl introduced herself and fallow by asking a million questions. Inara like her right away. When the rest of the crew saw how close t he two of them had gotten they lighten up a bit too.

"Kaylee my shuttle was a little rough on my last landing I was hoping you'd look at it for me?" Inara asked and the girl nodded and shot up to fix Inara shuttle. The only thing Kaylee loved more then meeting new people was fixing things. Once Kaylee had left the cargo bay Inara went down to where Mal stood.

"She likes them already." Inara stated when she was next to Mal.

"That girl likes everyone, just the way she works. It explains why a girl like her is on a ship like this. I don't trust them. Their hiding something. I don't know what but its going to be big." Mal said as a grim look crossed his face and he look at the door to Inara shuttle which Kaylee had disappeared through only moments ago.

"How do you know its going to be big?" Inara asked

"Cause it's always is." And with that he walked away leaving Inara to stand alone in the cargo bay. An unspoken agreement hung between her and Mal. And that was 'protect Kaylee above all else." Of course something happen which you simply can't stop.

"Well here we are. Your guys room. Zoë said as she point to on of the guest room which had two bed in it. Buffy walk into it and looked around the small space before turning back to Zoë.

"Thank you Zoë. These are great." Buffy replied and Xander just nodded. Zoë took that as her cue to leave the two alone, which she was more then fine with. The two of them gave her the creeps. She wasn't sure what it was about the two that she didn't like, but the way that the boy never spoke and how the girl's eyes told Zoë that there was more there then she was seeing she just didn't like it. She didn't agree with Mal on taken this job but he was the captain so it was his call.

"I'll leave you be." Zoë said and walk away before either one could say anything. As soon as she had disappear down the corridor Xander step out of the room into the walk way. He looked both way and stood there for a minute before coming back into the room and closing the boor behind him.

"All is clear." Xander stated, talking for the first time since coming on to the ship. Buffy and him had agree ahead of time that he wouldn't do much talking while on the ship. It gave him a chance to judge people without them knowing that they are being judge. While their forces were on Buffy he could watch them and see how they reacted to thing. Those Xander wasn't sure it work with the captain, he seem to be forced on both of them the whole time. Xander locked to door just to be sure and turn to Buffy who had sat down on one of the beds. She looked tired like living through another day would be almost too much for her. Xander didn't like it. Buffy had always been the strong one it was just the way thing were for, well for Xander it was like it had be that way forever.

"We did it Xander, were closing in." Buffy said as a small smile crossed her face. It was the type of smile people use when they weren't use to smiling and it was true in Buffy case, Xander couldn't remember the last time she had smiled. It seemed to him that as of late or maybe for a very long time thing just hadn't been going their way. The fact of the matter was them even been on Serenity was a step fewer then they had ever been.

We may actually do it this time." Xander realize but then he thought of the crew. "Are you sure there 'good'?" He quoted the good to make she Buffy knew what he meant. He wasn't speaking about whether they could do a good job or not it was about whether they were good people.

"It doesn't matter whether the whole is good or not, I don't care if some of them are the first evils to ever be created, only the one matter now." Buffy replied, a long time ago she learned that she had to take care of what was hers and forget everyone else. Giles taught her that, he taught her that with his death. Thinking about Giles always made Buffy sad and tired. It made her realize just how long it had been, but maybe this time it could end. "It's been far too long, and I'm much to tired." She looked up at Xander who now stood in forth of her, what she was looking of in him it was hare to say, guides maybe, answer to question she would never even ask him, light to carry her the last mile. It was hard to judge from her empty eyes. The eyes that once were so bright they could light the way in the dark. But like a lot of other thing for Buffy that had died a long time ago.

"Buffy its okay cause were almost done." Xander said trying to cheer her up he just didn't knew how.

Just outside the room were Buffy and Xander talked River stood and listen. She didn't listen to the words they spoke out loud to each. No those words lies and twisted half truth and no truth, the heart hidden deep with in meaning no one would ever get. No River listened to the truth, the words the no one else could hear but her. The words lied with in they minds but they held with in them the truth of the heart. But River found something that confused her, and since not many things confused her she became curious about it. See most voices were clear to River some were louder then other (Jayne's was the loudness River had ever hear and half the time she didn't like what she heard) but all came in clear. The two that stood in that room where whispers. It was almost like they weren't there, that they were mere shadows of themselves. It didn't make sense so she leaned in closer to listen and learn.

'_They were all counting on me."_

'_What if we fail?'_

'_I let them all down.'_

'_Then we can't bring her back.'_

'_I'm just so tired.'_

'_I'm sorry Willow.'_

River back away from the door and the whisper in her mind all but disappear she could no longer hear them clear the thoughts became so as if they weren't their at all. As if the people in that room were there or maybe it was just they were suppose to be there River didn't knew which. But she did have more questions to add to her growing pile about the new people. Like who was Willow and how had they let her down. River slowly slipped away from the door quietly as she had come almost like she was never there at all. River had a mystery to solve.

**Later that night: Midnight Earth time**

Half of Kaylee suck out from under the engine. She was working late once again finish up on of the many things they ever seem to get done during the day. Wash once asked Kaylee as a joke if she ever slept and when Kaylee had answered truthfully about one to two hours a night Mal had made sure she went to bed at 9 a' clock for a whole month. Kaylee had gotten so far behind in her work that she ended up not sleeping for three weeks after that and also during the month she spent most of the time just laying in her bed looking up at her ceiling. So it came to that Mal didn't ask if she slept and she didn't tell. It wasn't working on Serenity that made Kaylee get so little sleep. It had started long before she had ever lay eyes on the ship. It had start when she was five or a lest that when she thinks they started really Kaylee never remember having a good night sleep it was like the nightmare had been with her since she was born she just thought that she had to have a good night sleep once in her life even if she was just a baby when it happen. Just thinking about the nightmare brought back the old fear Kaylee felt. So she spent her nights working until she got to tired to even dream and she would crash.

"You're up kind of later aren't you?" A voice Kaylee didn't recognize said. Quickly Kaylee pulled herself out from under they engine to see who had spoken to her thinking that maybe someone sneak on board again. But when she had gotten out it was one of the new comers, Xander she believed his name was.

"Hum… hi" Kaylee said not sure really what to say. Xander hadn't spoken a word to her since coming on to the ship; well he hadn't spoken a word to anyone so really it was just weird that he was up at midnight speaking to her. She knew Mal would not approve of this at all.

"You know your bleeding." Xander point out as he walked up next to her. True enough she was, a thin vile of red started to cover Kaylee's right arm. It went from the elbow to the wrist.

"Oh dam, must have nick it on something on the way out." Kaylee stated holding up her arm for closer inspection. For the world Kaylee couldn't think of what she cut herself on. She didn't even fell it on the way out; then again she was in a bit of a hurry.

"I'd say it's a bit more then a nick. You better have your doc look at that." As soon as the words had left Xander mouth Kaylee began to worry. She knew what was going to happen when they woke up Simon, Simon would wake up Mal and so the whole crew would be woken up and they all have something to say to her. Like how she should be more careful, how she shouldn't work so late by herself, how she shouldn't be talking alone with a newbie before Mal could tell if they were safe or not. Over all this was not turning into one of Kaylee's best night. Well she was deep in thought Xander had come over and wrap her arm in his over shirt. When Kaylee look down she could see that the blood was already starting to soak through the shirt. The red almost looked black in on the shirt when it mixed with the blue that was the original color of Xander shirt.

"Maybe getting Simon up wouldn't be such a bad idea." Kaylee said as the world start to spin around her, her head felt like there was nothing inside and darkness started to cover her eyes. The last thing she saw before it all went dark was Xander's arm coming up to catch her.

"Well doc what do you think." Kaylee heard Mal voice through the darkness that surrounded her. It took her a moment or two to realize that her eyes were still shut, so slowly she opened them. The first this she notice was the lights, they were so bright that she couldn't keep her eyes open at first. Over a minutes time though she manage to get her eyes use to the lights. But the room was still burly. Color mixed together; there was no real shape or form. After a moment the shaped started to form and Kaylee found she was in the med lab laying on one of the bed looking around she saw Simon and Mal off to the side talking and Inara standing at the door, she looked very worry. Kaylee right arm felt numb and she look down to make sure it was still there. She saw her entire arm was bandage up in a clear white bandage.

"She should be okay she just black out because of the lost of blood." Simon stated and Kaylee look over to were he and the Captain where talking. "What really worries me though is the cut itself. If she had cut it on one of her engine parts it would had be well rough in a way she he cut is clear like she was cut by a knife."

"You think that boy did it to her?" Mal asked in a way that everyone in the room new if the answer was yes he do some damage to the boy.

"I'm not sure, I mean why would he cut her then get us to help her, and on the other hand I don't know who else could have done it." Simon replied giving no one any answer. Kaylee frowned how could Xander had cut her when he was on the other side of the room from her the whole time, it didn't make any sense to Kaylee.

"Capt'" Kaylee whispered her voice not going any higher she needed to talk to him and figure this thing out.

"Hey meimei, how are you feeling?" Mal asked as he and Simon walked over toward her.

"Okay I guess. Capt' I don't think Xander could have cut me…" Kaylee started but was cut off by Simon.

"I don't think now a good time to talk about this Kaylee needs a good night sleep and I think the rest of us could use the same." He stated clear leaving no room for arguments. Inara who hadn't said a word the whole time walk up next to Kaylee then.

"I'll help Kaylee back to her room." She offered helping the girl off the bed but the moment Kaylee's feet touch the floor her knees buckle and she felt like she was going down. Inara caught her just in time. "Easy there I got you." Inara assured the young girl helping her out of the med lad.

"Thank." Kaylee replied sleepy she felt like she had just rewired the engine (a thing that took a lot of energy and time), three times. As they walked out of the med lab Kaylee saw Xander standing there holding his now very blood covered shirt. His eyes look right into her like he was trying to see into her soul, she looked away allowing Inara to lead her to her room.

"Did you get it?" Buffy asked Xander when he entered into the room. Xander just handed her the shirt and sat down on his bed this night had been a very long night.

"Gees Xand I said get a drop of blood not a gallon. Is the girl okay?" Buffy asked hoping so if the girl was the one they needed her alive at less for the time being.

"She fine a good night sleep and she'll be back fixing engine in no time." Xander replied looking up at Buffy who now stood in the center of the small room holding the bloody shirt. "So is she the one?" He asked hopefully, he was tired of the search he just wanted it to end. Buffy frowned as she look closer at Xander shirt.

"Give me a sec will you. I'm not as good at this as Giles was." Buffy explain as she throw some powered on to Xander shirt which started to glow a bright white "She's the one." A note of sadness was in Buffy voice as she stated that.

"To bad, I like her." Xander replied now lying down to got to sleep.

"Yeah." Buffy said as she sat down on her bed. "Me too."

That all for now more only if you like it review and tell me.


End file.
